Huffington Post Reports on John Birch Society's Work to Stop Agenda 21

The Huffington Post reported February 7 on the nationwide effort of The John Birch Society to help stop the implementation of the United Nations' Agenda 21. The article focused on the Society’s website, and also on its action guide which provides advice on how to oppose Agenda 21 at the local level.

While the article does not clearly exhibit a bias against The John Birch Society or in favor of Agenda 21, it states the concerns of the Society rather matter-of-factly without outlining the evidence supporting those concerns.

Already two decades old, Agenda 21 is a United Nations plan for “sustainable development” that was backed by George H.W. Bush and 177 other world leaders. Though Agenda 21 was hatched in 1992, Bill Clinton signed an Executive Order in 1995 establishing a Presidential Council on “Sustainable Development,” which essentially provided a permanent platform for the UN plan by circumventing the approval of both Congress and the American people.

Despite Agenda 21's seemingly innocuous intentions, critics have noted that several components of Americans' way of life are at risk under the plan: private property ownership, single-family homes, private car ownership, individual travel choices, and privately-owned farms.

According to its authors, the objective of sustainable development is to integrate economic, social and environmental policies in order to achieve reduced consumption, social equity, and the preservation and restoration of biodiversity. Sustainablists insist that every societal decision be based on environmental impact, focusing on three components; global land use, global education, and global population control and reduction.

Following the establishment of the Council on Sustainable Development, J. Gary Lawrence, Council advisor to President Clinton, predicted that there would be significant opposition to the program:

Participating in a UN advocated planning process would very likely bring out many of the conspiracy-fixated groups and individuals in our society.… This segment of our society who fear "one-world government" and a UN invasion of the United States through which our individual freedom would be stripped away would actively work to defeat any elected official who joined "the conspiracy" by undertaking LA21 [Local Agenda 21]. So we call our process something else, such as comprehensive planning, growth management or smart growth.

Decades later, Lawrence’s predictions have proven to be correct. The John Birch Society has been a leading opponent to the program, as noted by the Huffington Post, which cites the JBS as saying,

The American dream of the beautiful house, big front and back yard, white picket fence and one or two cars is to be replaced with United Nations’ Agenda 21 vision of living in small urban dwelling, where you are restricted in the amount of what you can consume and dispose, where prices on goods and services are higher, and where you will have no mobile freedom or independence to travel as you please.

The Post summarizes why The John Birch Society takes issue with the UN plan:

[Agenda 21] would allow the government to seize private property from Americans, force those in rural communities to move into urban centers, prohibit people from entering woodlands, and restrict civil liberties and local government control over drinking water, showers and bathroom usage. The Society also claims that Agenda 21's goal to increase "civic participation" is code for forcing Americans to work in agricultural labor camps.

Those concerns of the JBS are the direct result of statements made by the planners of Agenda 21, as well as the groups involved in its implementation.

In 1987, World Socialist Party Vice President Gro Harlem Brundtland wrote a report for the United Nations entitled "Our Common Future," which explained that environmentalism could be used as a tool to control all the people of the world and establish a one-world government. The Blaze contends that the growth of ICLEI [the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives] and the creation of Agenda 21 are steps toward bringing Brundtland’s ideas to life. After all, Brundtland herself first coined the term “sustainable development."

During the Earth Summit Strategy to Save Our Planet in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, one of Agenda 21’s planners declared:

Agenda 21 proposes an array of actions which are intended to be implemented by every person on earth.… It calls for specific changes in the activities of all people.… Effective execution of Agenda 21 will require a profound reorientation of all humans, unlike anything the world has ever experienced.

Agenda 21 is supported by ICLEI, which has been funded by billionaire globalist George Soros. In fact, in 1997, Soros’ Open Society provided $2,147,415 to ICLEI in order to support its Local Agenda 21 Project. According to The Blaze, “This type of global plan could not be implemented without a large and well-funded group pushing through its priorities. For that, Agenda 21 has the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). And ICLEI is deeply entrenched in America.”

ICLEI USA was launched in 1995 and has grown from a handful of local governments participating in a pilot project to a solid network of more than 600 cities, towns and counties actively striving to achieve tangible reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and create more sustainable communities. ICLEI USA is the domestic leader on climate protection and adaptation, and sustainable development at the local government level.

However, most residents of those cities, towns, and counties are unaware that their local governments are agreeing to rules and regulations dictated by a UN-based organization regarding property rights.

In California, Agenda 21 is already working on plans for sustainable management of open spaces. Debate over what open space entails has highlighted divisions between those who are directing the planning meetings and American citizens, even including liberal Democrats, who are still interested in protecting private property rights.

In Austin, Texas, the city council approved an “Energy Conservation Ordinance” in 2008. The ordinance adds a new chapter to the city code relating to energy conservation audit and disclosure requirements, and and imposes new penalties for offenses against the ordinance.

Angered by the city council’s consideration of the ordinance, a group called Texans for Accountable Government began to scrutinize the council’s adoption of Agenda 21-friendly initiatives. TAG member John Bush delivered a brief and concise presentation on Agenda 21 and ICLEI just prior to the vote that ultimately approved the ordinance.

The John Birch Society has encouraged the American people to voice their opposition to Agenda 21 by forming committees and recruiting local leaders to join the cause and exercise influence over politicians. The Huffington Post references some of these items that the Society outlines in its manual for how to organize against Agenda 21.

>Those interested in learning more about how to organize local efforts against Agenda 21 may visit here.

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